The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Russian Federation, of the other part (PCA), which entered into force in 1997 and expires in 2007,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on relations between the EU and Russia,

–  having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas enhanced cooperation and good neighbourly relations between the EU and Russia are of key importance to the stability, security and prosperity of the whole of Europe,

B.  whereas, for a considerable period of time, the development of relations was overshadowed by controversial issues, such as the situation in Chechnya, the neighbourhood countries, energy supply, and human and democratic rights,

C.  whereas there are continuing and increasing concerns over the weakening of democracy in Russia, increased State control of the media, the worsening climate for non-governmental organisations, increased political control of the judiciary, increased difficulties impeding the ability of the political opposition to operate, and other measures which have considerably strengthened the power of the Kremlin,

D.  whereas the US plans to build an anti-missile system with components deployed in Poland and the Czech Republic have created new tensions and mistrust in the relations between the EU and Russia; whereas Russian President Putin has announced that Russia would no longer stand by the terms of the 1990 treaty on the non-proliferation and reduction of conventional troops in Europe,

E.  whereas the conclusion of a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the Russian Federation is of the utmost importance for their future cooperation, in particular with regard to the further development of economic relations, to the further enhancement of security and stability in Europe and to the further strengthening of respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law as the basis for this cooperation; whereas the partners have failed to solve the outstanding issues needing to be tackled in order to make the launch of the negotiations possible;

F.  whereas major differences between the Member States are preventing the EU from implementing an effective policy towards Russia,

1.  Reaffirms its conviction that Russia remains an important partner for the purpose of building strategic cooperation, with which the EU shares not only economic and trade interests but also the objective of cooperating closely in the international arena as well as in the common neighbourhood;

2.  Deplores the fact that since the previous summit there have been no new developments in relations between EU and Russia; underlines that EU-Russia relations are at a critical stage and therefore calls on both partners for constructive and results-oriented engagement;

3.  Deplores the delayed start of the negotiations on a Strategic Partnership Agreement; regrets the almost complete absence of positive developments since the previous summit; calls on the Russian Government to create together with the European Union the necessary conditions for a rapid start to the negotiations; encourages the Portuguese Presidency to continue to work towards enabling the negotiating mandate for a new agreement to be adopted as soon as possible and to start negotiations without further delay;

4.  Reiterates its view that a robust defence of human rights and democratic values should be a core principle of any EU engagement with Russia; urges the Commission to ensure that these values do not have a subsidiary status in the EU-Russia negotiating package and that any financial assistance granted to the Russian authorities takes into consideration the strengthening of democratic standards in that country;

5.  Emphasises that the situation in Chechnya continues to be an obstacle to the development of relations between the EU and Russia; reiterates its strong criticism of Russia's policy in Chechnya and its condemnation of the numerous human rights violations in Chechnya; calls on the Russian Federation as a matter of urgency to take concrete steps to eradicate torture and other ill-treatment, arbitrary detention and 'disappearances' in the Chechen Republic, and to tackle impunity in relation to such violations;

6.  Expresses its concern about the restriction of democratic freedoms in the run-up to the Duma elections in December 2007 and the presidential elections in March 2008; calls on the Russian authorities to guarantee a free and fair process in both elections in order to ensure that the opposition parties have the possibility of participating in those elections and the opportunity to conduct a competitive election campaign, whilst fully respecting the principle of freedom of expression; stresses that freedom of the media will be of key importance if the elections are to be seen as free and fair; expresses its interest in the observation of the forthcoming parliamentary elections;

7.  Takes note of the recent visa facilitation agreement between the EU and Russia, but stresses that there is a need for more ambitious visa facilitation which also covers ordinary bona fide travellers not belonging to any pre-set categories, and for liberalisation in the long term;

8.  Calls on the Council and the Commission to redouble their efforts to solve the problems involved in crossing the EU-Russian border and to engage in concrete projects and make full use of the new Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument and Interreg funds for cross-border cooperation;

9.  Underlines the strategic importance of cooperation on energy and the need to enhance EU-Russia energy relations; stresses that further cooperation in this field must be based on the principles of interdependence and transparency as well as the importance of reciprocity in terms of access to markets, infrastructure and investment, with the objective of avoiding oligopolistic market structures and diversifying the European Union's energy supply;

10.  Advocates the exchange of information on advanced energy technologies and encourages contacts between EU and Russian energy sector actors, as well the efforts necessary to improve energy efficiency and to develop non-CO2-emitting technologies, which present significant opportunities for cooperation, particularly industrial cooperation, with the exchange of best practices and technologies between Russian and EU companies;

11.  Calls upon Russia and the Member States to reach the prescribed targets of the Kyoto Protocol and emphasises, in this respect, the specific responsibility of developed countries to take the lead in reducing emissions; calls on Russia to play an active role in future international negotiations and to facilitate a swift agreement by 2008, and by 2009 at the latest, to ensure the continuity of the global carbon market;

12.  Notes the differences between the EU and Russia concerning neighbourhood policy; rejects foreign policies aimed at creating spheres of influence; stresses the need fully to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states; calls on the EU and Russia to cooperate constructively on the solution of frozen conflicts in their common neighbourhood;

13.  Shares the Russian people's serious concern over the US plans to establish an anti-missile system in EU Member States; takes the view that new anti-missile systems risk leading to a new arms race, making Europe a target for military attack and creating new political divisions between EU Member States, as well as between Russia and the EU; calls upon the US to withdraw these plans, which have alarmed European public opinion; calls upon the governments and parliaments of the Czech Republic and Poland not to accept anti-missile systems on their territory;

14.  Takes the view that President Putin's announcement that Russia would no longer stand by the terms of the 1990 treaty on the non-proliferation and reduction of conventional troops in Europe is an inadequate response to the anti-missile system plans; insists on the strict implementation of all existing arms control and disarmament agreements; calls for the reopening of political dialogue within the OSCE on security, arms control and disarmament issues with a view to putting a definitive end to the arms race in Europe, agreeing on further arms reductions and establishing a nuclear-weapon-free Europe;

15.  Reiterates that the EU and Russia should work together towards arriving at multilateral solutions to global issues; calls on the EU and Russia to cooperate in order to find a peaceful solution for the problems concerning the Iranian nuclear policy; calls on the EU and Russia, as members of the Quartet, to contribute actively to the solution of the Middle East conflict by ensuring that the forthcoming conference addresses the final status issues and aims at reaching a comprehensive regional peace arrangement;

16.  Calls on the EU and Russia, as members of the Quartet, to assume their responsibility for the resolution of the Middle East conflict and to promote efforts to hold an international peace conference on a regional Middle East peace agreement on the basis of UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative;

17.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the Russian Federation, and the Council of Europe.